The Right Way to Quickly End the War in Ukraine
Foreign AffairsJul 23
Ukrainian Foreign Minister: China Has Shown 'Clear Indication' to End War
Above: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on the second day of the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting on November 29, 2023 in Brussels, Belgium. Image copyright: Omar Havana/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Returning from a two-day trip to China, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he received a "clear indication" from Wang Yi, his Chinese counterpart, that China's leadership was committed to finding a "fair and long" solution to the Russia-Ukraine war.
In a week where China has sought to show it's an international player in diplomacy, Beijing hosted 14 Palestinian factions for reconciliation talks, including rivals Hamas and Fatah, before going on to host Ukraine's Kuleba.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
In the past week, by inviting leaders of the Palestinian factions as well as the foreign minister of Ukraine, China has tried to position itself as a leader in global diplomacy. However, China exerts little influence in the Middle East, and it has cozied up to Russia in the course of its invasion of Ukraine. As such, it's not clear that China can be successful in either region.
Pro-China narrative
China and Ukraine have had a friendship and entered into a strategic partnership more than 10 years ago. As indicated before, China remains firmly committed to working for a political settlement of the crisis in Ukraine. As it enters its third year, the risk of escalation and spillover into a wider conflict remains.
Pro-Ukraine narrative
During Kuleba's visit to China, it was made clear to the Chinese foreign minister that territorial integrity was at the heart of any possible peace talks with Russia. China has given us positive signals that it too seeks a just resolution to the war.